Sexual Harassment Attorneys: Queens, New York

Liability for Sexual Harassment in The Workplace

According to the NY Department of Human Rights, employers can be held responsible for sexual harassment in the workplace in the following circumstances:

If the harassment was the fault of a co-owner, manager, or supervisor the employer is responsible, regardless of whether or not they knew it was occurring;

If the harassment occurred among regular employees, the employer can be held responsible if they knew about it, should have known about it, or failed to have a sexual harassment policy in place.

If you have reported harassment on the job to no avail or have faced retaliation as a result of your complaint, such as being fired, demoted, or intimidated into dropping your claim, you may be entitled to damages in a civil lawsuit. These damages include job reinstatement, compensation for lost wages and benefits, and payment of court costs and attorney fees. You may also be entitled to compensation for any medical or emotional illness or symptoms you suffered as a result.

What Some Call ‘Teasing’ May Be Sexual Harassment

This is a question a lot of people ask themselves when it comes to sexual harassment. We all want to be at ease with members of the opposite sex, and we want to be able to behave normally around our colleagues. However, when comments that seem “normal” to one person make another person uncomfortable, that line may have been crossed.

Sexual harassment is considered to be repeated requests for dates or sexual favors, lewd comments, posting or sharing of pornographic pictures when one person is made uncomfortable, and requests or pressure from a supervisor for sexual favors in return for promotion or continued employment for an employee.

Most people are able to blow off a single incident. However, if the atmosphere of harassment continues, you feel further demeaned and a hostile work environment situation develops, it becomes a serious issue. This is especially true where it is a supervisor-subordinate relationship because the superior has influence over your career and everyday work life.

Sexual Harassment by a Supervisor

When sexual harassment comes from a supervisor, a victim might choose not to report it out of fear of potentially losing his or her job or facing another form of retaliation. Often, victims of quid pro quo sexual harassment, requests for sexual contact in exchange for favorable treatment, feel like they have no choice but to comply with their supervisors’ requests.

You never have to engage in unwanted sexual contact, even if your job is on the line.

A few common warning signs of sexual harassment in the workplace include:

Sexist language and behavior from supervisors;

Coercion and bribery used as tactics to accomplish goals;

Physical harassment, which can include unwanted touching and uncomfortable comments about employees’ bodies; and

Legal Protections for Victims who File Sexual Harassment Claims

Individuals who file sexual harassment claims with the EEOC are protected from retaliation under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Retaliation can include any type of mistreatment following the claim made in an effort to “punish” the employee, such as termination, poor performance reviews, harassment, and demotion or passing over the employee for a promotion.

Filing a sexual harassment claim, talking about sexual harassment in the workplace with one’s colleagues and discussing one’s plan to file a claim, and cooperating with a colleague’s claim by providing testimony are all protected activities under the law. These are activities for which it is illegal to retaliate against an employee. Other protected activities include whistleblowing, the act of notifying authorities of the mistreatment occurring in the workplace, and picketing outside a company’s headquarters as long as it does not impede other workers’ ability to perform their jobs.

Like a sexual harassment claim, a retaliation claim is filed with the EEOC. This federal agency handles all investigations and enforcement related to the United States’ federal employment laws. And also like with sexual harassment claims, workers need to support their retaliation claims to show that their employers’ actions were directly related to their engagement in protected activities.

Workplace Retaliation and Sexual Harassment Claims

Many people are afraid to report sexual harassment because they don’t want to be seen as “whiney” or a “troublemaker.” It is illegal for your employer to tolerate sexual harassment in the workplace. You have a right to report this behavior and a right to expect not to be retaliated against for doing so.

Need Advice? Contact Us for a Free Consultation Today

If you have been dealing with sexual harassment from colleagues or your supervisor, come into Ricotta & Marks, P.C., today and tell us your story. Our skilled New York employment law attorneys will advise you as to all of your options for dealing with a sexual harassment case against your employer. We have the resources and skill to help you bring your story to light and hold those responsible, accountable and know the federal, state and local laws that affect companies when it comes to sexual harassment.